In electrical, telecommunications, in-ground fencing, and other industries, a ground rod is often used to establish a reference voltage, provide an electrical return, and/or protect various devices from damage due to lightning or static electricity. In many instances, the ground rod is driven into the earth until only a relatively small length of the ground rod remains above the earth. A ground rod clamp is then connected to the portion of the rod that remains above the earth. Finally, a ground wire connects the device/system being energized to the ground rod clamp, thereby completing the electrical circuit.
Exposure of the ground rod to the elements often cause the portion of the rod above and below the ground (or underwater, if applicable) to corrode, decreasing and/or preventing the flow of energy through the ground rod. This can be dangerous and also reduces efficiency. Prior art ground rod caps have been designed to reduce exposure of the point of connection between the ground rod and the ground wire to the elements, however, none provide a high degree of moisture resistance. Instead, most existing ground rod caps function merely as a cover to deflect moisture from one or more directions, but still leave the connection at least partially exposed to moisture entry. Such caps are not particularly well suited for situations in which the ground rod is intended to be submerged in water, such as in in-ground fencing systems located along bodies of water. In such applications, a ground rod is often located in the water. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a ground rod cap that provides a higher degree of moisture resistance and/or waterproofing and/or other protection from the elements for the ground rod connection; a ground rod cap that provides an improved or stabilized and/or electrically insulated connection for the ground wire/ground rod/clamp; and/or a ground rod cap that provides improvements over prior art caps and/or provides desirable features that is easier than prior art caps to install.